Absolute beginners - how many private lessons will we want / need?

[SheKnewSheWasRight]

We're currently booked in for 2.5 hours of private lessons for each morning that DD is going to be in ski school i.e. for 5 mornings. Does this sound about right?

Should we expect to be able to potter about gently on the slopes in the afternoon as complete (and rather nervous) beginners, or is this best left until we're a bit more experienced?

Thanks for any advice

My DD started at age 6 yrs, a week after 6 yr old birthday.

ended up with private lessons as we were out of season. so when she was aged 6 she did 2.5 whole days and a year later another 2.5 days of privates. at age 8 she did group lessons in morning and after lunch skied with us on blues.

been so long since i learnt but I think I did morning group lessons then skied with my friends after lunch. Friends all knew the pistes and to me that makes a big difference.

I am not an amazing skier, but in my view an adult beginner trying to ski with a child who is also a beginner does not bode well. You have to factor in the lifts aswell as the skiing. Magic carpets get boring very quickly.

We're just back and DH was more or less a beginner and DS in ski school for 2 hrs each morning. DS and DH just couldn't be together at all on their own as DH just learning so not confident or able to manage DS once they were on anything other than the nursery slopes. To be honest I found it quite stressful skiing with DS as well for the first couple of days as I was just getting my confidence back and DS just bombed down the slopes and had a tendency to talk to me when I was trying to turn.

What I'd do is for the first couple of days just do nursery slopes in the afternoon, that's probably as much as you would want to handle with a young child with you.

Then once everyone is a little more confident, I'd split up so that one person stayed with your DD in the afternoon - on the nursery slopes or very easy green runs, whilst the other person got to practice on their own.

Your DD may not want to do loads in the afternoon, so that's why it makes sense to split up as well, that way one person gets a chance each day to get a little more skiing in.

As beginners, you'll be shown what you can do by the instructor and they'll get you onto the slopes fairly quickly. You'll do the same slope over and over again which will give you confidence in getting on and off that chair lift and at the very beginning it'll be the nursery slopes for all of you. You can probably all ski together towards the end of the week on blues.

You don't say how old your child is but they have less fear than adults so are quicker as beginners than you will be. If you are unable to ski well then I would hesitate about skiing with a younger (between 5-8 year old) child on any new slopes as you won't have the confidence to get them out of trouble and they will be unable to get you out of trouble.

That all said - I'm a reasonable skier and have just taken my child on its first skiing holiday at 5. We had a blast. Enjoy yourselves.

Thank you all for your posts; in fact DD will be in ski-school from 9 until 4pm, so it's just me and DH who would be pottering about in the afternoons

That's brill then if your DD is in ski school all day, you'll have loads of time to potter and practice . Sadly I knew DS would absolutely kick off if I put him in all day so we had to compromise with morning sessions.

My retrospective in ski school for little kids....

When my dd was 6 and 7 she did all day ski school with lots of bribery. I work full time so it seemed weird taking time off and going on a holiday and not spending time with her. But it was right thing to do in retrospect as now we can all ski as a family.

I think teaching how to ski is a skill and the teachers she had when little were amazing. I would not have Been able to ski backwards and help her like her teachers did. I don't have the skill or strength.

You will be easily able to practise together in the afternoon after your lesson, especially after the first day or so. As beginners though, you will be tired, a bit sore and you will learning everything i.e. equipment, tows, lifts, getting up after falling etc so you will be tired and maybe even a bit fed up at times. You can be leisurely in the afternoons and enjoy just being in the mountains with a coffee etc as well as learning to ski.

Your child will probably learn quicker than you. DS1 and I learned at the same time and is an utterly brilliant skier now whereas I am merely competent (which I'm incredibly proud of, but it was a hard slog).

Hope you have a lovely time. IMO skiing is a life skill and very beneficial (in a wide variety of ways) for both individuals and families.